3 from Gambrills slaughterhouse indicted Three men are accused of violating the Federal Meat Inspection Act

A federal grand jury in Baltimore has indicted three men on charges of violating the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

Eddy Igweze Ndichie, a College Park resident who allegedly operated an illegal slaughterhouse in Gambrills, was indicted yesterday on 10 counts, including selling and transporting contaminated meats, making false statements to government agents and obstructing justice.

Ndichie faces a maximum prison sentence of 37 years and fines if convicted, U.S. Attorney Richard D. Bennett said yesterday.

Federal authorities accused Ndichie of trying to persuade his employees to change incriminating statements they made to investigators.

Mawussi Kwami "Frank" Abbah, who managed Edndichie Poultry and Livestock on Defense Highway, and Harvest "Robert" Sultry, a slaughterhouse employee, also were indicted on charges of engaging in the uninspected slaughter of goats and transporting and selling contaminated meats.

Abbah, a native of Togo in western Africa, was residing at the Gambrills slaughterhouse. Sultry is a Washington resident.

The slaughterhouse was "dirty, stained with blood and animal parts, infested with flies and generally unsanitary," according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. The operators allegedly butchered diseased animals and transported them in unrefrigerated trucks.

Federal authorities said some contaminated meats were sold to ethnic food markets in the Washington area. The indictment came after a three-month investigation by agents of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food Safety Inspection Service.